Respite in the Rain
by Drop And Die
Summary: JxA oneshot.  Fighting X.A.N.A. and working on saving the one he loves is taking its toll.  Aelita knows he's about to break...can she save him from himself?


**Disclaimer - **Don't own Code Lyoko. You know this by now.

**A/N: Here's my first attempt at a fluffy(ish) one-shot. My original goal was 100% fluff but clearly I'm still too addicted to my depressing one-shot tradition for that to actually occur. Hopefully the 50/50 ratio of depressing and fluff balances out. I clearly love putting these two and water together too much. Enjoy!**

A steady roar broke through Jeremie's focus and the boy groans in frustration. The faint light emanating from his monitor illuminates Jeremie in his usual position: typing madly away on his keyboard throughout the night. Sometimes when the code ran together into an incomprehensible morass on the screen Jeremie wished he didn't have to do this. He spent countless hours slaving away on the anti-virus program and he wasn't a machine like X.A.N.A. Jeremie had his limits.

Yet there existed no way for him to stop. The determination he'd been surprised to find within himself allowed him no rest. Aelita's safety mattered too much. Lately friction came between them and Jeremie hated it. She wanted him to relax a bit and enjoy life. _There's plenty of time for enjoying life when X.A.N.A. is gone. _ Her emerald eyes shone with sadness far too often when she looked at him.

Jeremie pulls his aching hands off the keyboard and stares blankly at them. He moves and the resulting creak from his chair is masked by the dull roar from outside. The first couple months were perfect; Aelita's bubbly and happy self never failed to cheer him up and hope resided in the group. Even if their victory wasn't complete a shot at the anti-virus was more than a possibility. As time passed and Jer came no closer to a solution he felt his hope and personality slowly turn sour. He snapped far too often at his friends and Aelita especially. They put up with it but their tolerance waned just like his patience did.

Deep inside he knew that a break from this mindless tedium would be required sooner rather than later. Cracks spread across his mind like creepers pulling down an old stone wall. Something had to give and right now it looked like Jeremie's mind would be the one surrendering. Aelita's words from last week rang in his mind. That voice he knew so well spoke up in his brain as if she was in his room at this very moment. _My life here isn't what I expected. How can I enjoy myself if you're never around?_

She had a perfectly valid point. He spent his time on two things: X.A.N.A. attacks and the anti-virus. Forget about class and socialization. Jeremie didn't eat unless Aelita pushed the plate in front of his nose. He knew that he was slowly destroying himself but the love inside of him forced his feet down the path that led to his oblivion. Aelita would survive no matter the cost.

A surprisingly strong gust of wind rattled his window and Jeremie looked away from his hands with a start of surprise. The streams of water flowing down the cool glass reminded him of the times he would spend playing in the rain as a kid. Water and mud had been objects of infinitely varying entertainment. _What happened to that carefree boy?_ Now all he had were cares. An unsuspecting world relied on him and his friends for safety. With a sigh he turned back to the lines of code in front of him and once again dived into his biggest quandary. The clattering of keys fought with the sound of the rain hitting the roof.

That same noise kept another person in Kadic awake past her normal bedtime. Aelita stared at her ceiling and tried to find some position that would offer a miniscule chance of getting some sleep tonight. Her sheets lay coiled in a bundle at the foot of her bed. The sound of the rain invaded her mind and kept her thoughts from diffusing into the fuzzy realm of dreams. Of course that wasn't the only barrier to sleep. Jeremie filled her mind more than usual lately. Not in a good way either.

Shifting to her side and clutching tighter at the pillow under head, Aelita looks at her floor with a distant gaze. Jeremie ripped himself apart day by day and she couldn't do a thing about it. All he cared about was her yet he never saw how much she cared for him. Her morning routine began with waking him up to make sure he didn't miss class. Each time it became harder to rouse him from slumber. Each time a little bit more of the light in his eyes seemed to fade. Each time her heart flooded with more pain.

Jeremie tried too hard to become steel. He grew harder week after week. She wanted to scream at him that becoming too hard would only turn him brittle to the slightest amount of excess pressure. Each attack and feverish night of programming bent him further and further; that steel he was becoming would snap. Her talks with Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi had come up with one conclusion: he needed a break, no matter for how long. Too bad they were fast running out of options to accomplish that task. Odd had jokingly suggested tying him to his bed at their first such meeting. It wasn't a joke now.

Aelita couldn't shake off the feeling that she was going to lose Jeremie. The rising tide of certain doom only strengthened as time passed. If nothing changed within the next couple weeks then in all likelihood X.A.N.A. would claim victory. Jeremie had to see what he was doing to himself yet he persisted. _Why?_ Aelita shook her head on the pillow. She knew he felt something for her but could a virtual program turned human like her really mean that much to him? That's the only reason she could think of for his single-minded obsession with the anti-virus program.

_Well, his determination will have to be met by mine._ She couldn't let him do this. No matter what Jeremie thought Aelita was not worth the cost of ruining his life. The pinkette sat up in bed and sharpened her raptor gaze on the dripping window pane. Aelita glanced at the clock and realized that not much time had passed at all. It was only thirty minutes past curfew. A spark of remembered conversation from her imprisonment on Lyoko crosses her mind. _Didn't he say he loved playing in the rain?_

A slight smile curving on her face, Aelita changes from her nightshirt into a pair of jeans and a green shirt that matched the color of her irises. She didn't know whether this would work but there's always hope. Quietly opening her door, Aelita pops her pink-haired head out and furtively glances down the halls for Jim. She doesn't see his burly form around so she opens the door all the way and steps out into the hall while closing the door behind her with a soft click. Nothing moves in the vicinity. Aelita silently slips towards the boys' dorm.

Sighing with despair, Jeremie stares blankly at yet another line of code that stymies him. A voice in the back of his mind screamed, "No more!" but he ignores it and tries to focus on what exactly the problem was. Shaking his head with exhaustion, Jeremie tries to figure out why after forty minutes his body already yelled for relief. Perhaps he was falling apart faster than he thought. Standing up on wobbly legs, Jer grasps the top of his chair for relief. A surge of lightheadedness greets him and he shuts his eyes with a groan.

A diminutive knock at his door causes Jeremie's pain to flee. He whirls around and his eyes widen. _Who could that be?_ Hopefully it was the one person whose eyes dulled his ever-present exhaustion. Opening the door, Jeremie feels his slight frown turn upside down at the serious-looking girl standing in front of him. "Hey Aelita. What's going on?"

Without a word she brushes past him and claims his bed for her own. She runs a hand through her hair and wonders where to start. Jeremie looks at her curiously and sits down next to her with a yawn. Her emerald eyes tell him all he needs to know about what she thinks of his actions lately. "I'm worried about you. How are you feeling?" she asks quietly. Aelita grabs his pillow and hugs it to her chest while waiting for his answer.

Jeremie opens his mouth to utter a lie but realizes there would be no point. Aelita knew exactly how horrible he felt nowadays. "Not good at all. I'm getting closer though…" He trails off at the flare of anger sparking in her eyes. He almost flinches at the intensity of her gaze but looks back at her steadily. A slight shudder of the building from a surge of rain reminds Aelita why she was here. Before she could ask him whether they could take a walk outside Jeremie abruptly stands up.

A small smile floats on his face as he gazes down at Aelita's adorable position with his blue pillow. With quicker reflexes than most people gave him credit for Jeremie snatches the soft object out of Aelita's grip. He lightly bats her on the head with it before she can react. His chuckle at her glare fills the air while Aelita adroitly snatches the pillow back and responds in kind. A strange form of pillow fight ensues; the two combatants couldn't laugh in more than a low whisper while trading blows.

Aelita felt her spirits rise. She hadn't heard him genuinely laugh in quite a while. Besides she was quite enjoying herself. Finally he gave up under her swift barrage of hits and smiled at her with a twinkle in his sapphire eyes. This was the sort of thing he missed the most: carefree fun with his friends. _I'm an idiot for not doing this more often. _ Aelita splayed out on his bed while Jeremie rested peacefully on his floor with three pillows scattered around him like the remnants of a battle. His obsession with saving Aelita waned when her presence graced him.

"Aelita…up for a walk?" Jeremie whispers to the silently breathing form occupying his bed. She peers over the edge down at him and nods.

"Of course. Why do you think I showed up tonight in the first place?" Aelita replies with an impish smile. Jeremie raises his eyebrows and stands up. He shook off the impure thought that entered his mind at her question. Taking his offered hand, Aelita clambers to her feet but doesn't let go. Sending an automatic glance at the glowing monitor, Jeremie heads for the door and performs the same ritual Aelita did earlier. Jeremie, satisfied that no one was around, pulls Aelita into the hall and the two head outside.

Something beyond their senses seemed to want the two to enjoy their time in the rain. The previously roaring storm subsides into a moderate downpour just as Jeremie and Aelita quietly walk outside. Aelita moves forward and turns her face upward to the formless dark sky above. Rain dampens her face with its caresses and the pinkette smiles at the soft liquid trickling down her cheeks. Remove the sensation of cool wetness and Aelita thought that this might be how Jeremie's hands on her face would feel.

For his part all Jeremie could do was stare. The rain barely registered on his sensory input as he focused solely on the girl standing with her back arched and eyes closed. Realizing his heart rate had skyrocketed in the last ten seconds, Jeremie tries to tear his eyes away but fails miserably. The way the rain plastered her shirt and jeans to her form was driving him mad. Rain splashes off his fingers as his hands twitch involuntarily towards Aelita.

Jeremie knew Aelita shone with beauty both inside and out. Yet his focus on her internal qualities sometimes blinded him to her physical grace. Therefore when he did notice the impact on him was all the more jarring. A wry chuckle escapes him. _When _don't _I notice how beautiful she is?_ He ached so much to forget his restraint and just pull her into his arms. Aelita still hadn't moved from her statuesque position; the rain fell in rivulets along her skin and transformed her into something almost out of mythology.

They didn't know how much time passed in silence except for the steady rhythm of rain. Finally Aelita gazes upwards and lets a few drops impact her emerald eyes. Scattering a storm of droplets everywhere, Aelita rakes her hands briskly through her hair. The pink-haired teen laughs at her soaked self and turns with a grin to gaze at Jeremie. She returns his stare and notices a fire shining in his sapphire eyes.

Aelita stiffens in wonder at that burning gaze. She knew that he liked her but was too shy to admit it. But that look implied so much more than a mere liking. Her original gout of love for him had faded in the last few weeks as the true Jeremie she wanted disappeared behind his newfound cold shell. A burst of hope flares in her chest. Tonight seemed different than the ones before. _Something about the rain…_

Darting forward, Aelita snatches Jeremie's cool hand and pulls him towards the fringe of the forest. Their shoes quickly lose whatever dryness remained in them as the couple plays with the puddles scattered about. Forgetting that their jaunt outside broke quite a few rules; Aelita and Jeremie laugh their delight into the night air. Jeremie's calculated jump into a deep puddle sends a pool of water up to his ankles and a large splash towards Aelita's face. Her hands try to block the incoming wave but to no avail. Sodden hair impeding her vision partially, she glares at Jeremie while trying to hold back her laughter.

Aelita wasn't going to take the answering smirk on Jeremie's face in stride. The puddle that busied itself with devouring the blonde's feet seemed large enough for her purposes. Jeremie didn't have any martial skills from fighting on Lyoko after all. She swiftly undercut his feet from under him and laughed as the boy fell into the puddle with a huge splash. _Puddle? That thing's almost a pond at this point._ Somehow he landed in such a way as to submerge himself completely. Sputtering, the blonde pushed his head above the water and doubled Aelita's earlier glare in the category of promised retribution while Aelita offers him a hand.

He takes the proffered hand and sharply yanks on it. How she didn't see that coming he honestly had no idea. With a shriek the pink-haired girl lands on Jeremie and creates a smaller wave of water to arc into the air before falling victim to gravity. The slight jasmine scent of Aelita's shampoo invades Jeremie's nose for a split second before Aelita spins around so she straddled his waist. Almost painfully aware of her weight on top of him, Jeremie struggles to rein in his raging hormones.

"A little uncomfortable for you?" Aelita asks sweetly while her dancing eyes twist the meaning of her words.

"No-not at all." Jeremie stutters as Aelita shifts slightly on top of him. _She needs to stop doing that. I'll go insane._ Her widening smirk tells him that she knew exactly what she was doing to him. _Hmm…I always had a suspicion that her internet trawls weren't always for innocuous pieces of information._ The full-fledged devilish grin on Aelita's angelic face made Jeremie's suspicions move a whit towards certainty. "How is it you do this to me?" he asks with a slightly high-pitched voice.

"It's too easy my dear. All I'm doing is sitting on top of you. Hmm…I wonder what happens if I do this?" Aelita murmurs almost to herself before caressing his damp face with her hand. His eyes widen in shock as the hand runs across his cheek and forehead. Jeremie quickly closes his eyes and tries to compose himself. His heart pounding like a jackrabbit didn't help matters. The slight rein he managed to create on his inner turmoil shatters at the warm hand running along his chest. Aelita laughs at his blushing face and withdraws her weapon of choice while Jeremie opens his eyes and stares directly at her. "Couldn't resist." she chuckles.

Rain from Aelita's hair fell softly onto Jeremie's face. He swore he could taste her on his lips from the few droplets that hit his mouth. Aelita moves forward along her new resting spot and Jeremie's knuckles whiten. The pinkette loved having him at her mercy. She was like a purring cat with a sparkly new toy to occupy her attention. Sure she knew the mechanics of how human relationships worked but that didn't compare to the sheer delight of actual use.

Jeremie's hands moved along Aelita's arms and shoulders before smoothly cupping her face. He didn't really notice the motion; the rational side of his mind had thrown in the towel for the time being. She let out a soft groan at the soft feeling of his hands against her skin. Her emerald eyes close for a brief second and then open with coals of desire flaring in them. Finally realizing his effort was futile, Jeremie stopped resisting the insistent demands of his mind.

A sudden contraction of muscles pulls Aelita's face towards his own. How many times had he dreamed of this both sleeping and awake? All it took was a rainstorm to fulfill that fantasy. Aelita's eyes involuntarily close and she focuses on the sensation of his damp lips against hers. Breathing ceased to matter for the next minute as the two experiment a little. Aelita quickly breaks apart, savoring the lingering pressure of his lips on hers. She smiles at his confused expression and rolls off of him and out of the body of water.

"What?" Jeremie asks with trepidation. He scrambles to his feet and looks at Aelita. _Did I screw it up? _ She raises her eyebrows and rolls her eyes.

"What what? I can't give you everything at once. Have to keep you wanting more. Don't worry, I thought it was excellent. "Aelita replies faintly while trying to still her racing heart. She didn't think he would have that much of an effect on her pulse…or her breath. He clutches a hand to his heart and swoons.

"Excellent…that's all the praise I get? And me being such a lady-killer? You wound me." Jeremie replies with a smirk. Aelita laughs and hits him in the shoulder playfully. Entwining her hand in his, she nods her head towards the darkened building in the distance.

"Lady killer? Don't get your hopes up. That implies you get past first base." Aelita replies. Jeremie cocks one eyebrow at her and she sticks out her tongue at him.

"Shouldn't be too hard. Give me a few minutes. You melt like hot butter in my hands." Jeremie smiles gently down at the pinkette before jumping at a sudden clap of thunder. Embarrassment didn't surge in him since his surprise paled besides Aelita's squeak of fright. She clutched to Jeremie like a particularly stubborn leech before realizing the roaring sound was just the storm overhead. A faint blush tinges her cheeks but Aelita doesn't leave her position glued to Jeremie's soaked shirt.

Dripping along the halls, the couple heads for Jeremie's room. A silent yawn cracks through Aelita's mouth and she wonders how Jeremie wasn't falling asleep on his feet yet. They reach his door and Aelita starts to break away from his embrace. A quick hand grasped about her wrist disabuses her of that notion. "Come in. Please." Something in Jeremie's eyes turns the statement into a plea. Not knowing what has him so rattled, Aelita follows him in with a worried expression on her face. _The fairy tale ended. Am I going to have to watch him kill himself slowly again?_ She hoped not; tonight was too enjoyable and important to be ruined by that damnable anti-virus program. Even though it held the key to her salvation Aelita glances at the blinking computer with loathing for what it did to Jeremie.

To her surprise Jeremie quickly accesses the computer, saves his progress, and shuts it down. She couldn't remember the last time the entire thing had been turned off. Aelita brought a hand to her mouth and thought about the possible ramifications. Hope elevated her spirits at the possibility that the old Jeremie existed once more. The pinkette watched Jeremie walk back towards her as remnants of water dripped into the carpet from both of them. His eyes betrayed a terrible need.

The hands that encircled her waist were light as a feather. Jeremie simply gazed into his girlfriend's eyes for a few seconds. Finally he opened his mouth to speak. "Words cannot describe how sorry I am for the last few weeks. I know that I was destroying myself but your safety meant too much to me. Now I realize that you should mean the most to me. Trust me, I will have you free of X.A.N.A's clutches but not at the cost of my sanity and time with you." Aelita buried her head against his chest while the tears coursed down her face. Finally he realized the monumental stupidity of his actions…and how much she loved him.

"Of course you dolt. It took you that long to figure that out? Remind me to kiss you more often when I want you to figure out something." Aelita quips through her sobs. A finger brushes away one of her tears and Jeremie softly chuckles.

"Feel free princess. I wouldn't mind at all." Jeremie replies. "It does seem to help." Aelita wipes away the last bit of moisture on her face and looks up at him with another devilish grin.

"Of course it does. I'm quite adept at making you lose your mind." She places a hand on his chest and pushes the bemused boy onto his bed. The pinkette didn't care what her damp clothes would do to his sheets. She tosses the three pillows on the floor from earlier onto Jeremie and he stretches out and closes his eyes. He doesn't react at the extremely warm body that cuddles against his side. Aelita smiles into Jeremie's shoulder and drapes a hand across his chest. A feeling of bliss fills her as she settles into Jeremie like her body had always known his shape.

"Good night Jer." Aelita murmurs sleepily as the rhythm of his beating heart lulled her towards dreams. Jeremie kisses her forehead and relaxes. This was the best he had felt in months. Aelita's breathing became steady while Jeremie stared at the ceiling lost in thought. He had no urge whatsoever to work on the anti-virus program. Aelita's warm presence by him was the only thing he wanted and needed. _I am an idiot sometimes. I could've had this so much sooner._ The grindstone of reality almost turned him into cornmeal but Aelita pulled him out of the rocks in the nick of time. Forget X.A.N.A. Forget consequences. Forget every care in the world. This moment with Aelita made all of those previously unmovable obstacles seem like mere bumps in his path. Jeremie doesn't notice his eyes closing and drifts off into peaceful bliss and the best rest he had ever known.


End file.
